in.] OF THE ANCIENTS. 87 



Greece. The Lotus of the Lotophagi, celebrated in 

 the 9th Book of the Odyssey, 



" Tobv 8' os TIS Xwroto (f)dyoi [i(\ir)8ea xapTrbv, 

 OvKV OTrayyeiXat TraXtv ij6f\(v ovde vefffdai, 

 AXX' avrov /3ovXoi/ro /xer' ai/Spacrt A.a>To(pdyoicriv 

 ACBTOI/ fpeTTTO^evoi p.evfp.(v, vocrrov re Xa$ecr$ai," 



" And whoso tasted of their flowery meat 

 Cared not with tidings to return, but clave 

 Past to that tribe, for ever fain to eat, 

 Reckless of home return, the tender Lotus sweet," 



and dwelt upon by Tennyson in his beautiful poem 

 of that name, seems to have been the Rhamnus 

 lotus of Dec., called Nebe/c in Syria and Palestine, 

 and still a favourite food amongst the Bedouins. 



But with regard to the other kinds of Lotus 

 alluded to in ancient writers, I have only room 

 to refer my readers to the elaborate discussion on 

 the subject introduced by M. Fee into his Flore 

 de Virgile. 



ACACIA. 



In my " Lectures on Roman Husbandry a ," I have 

 noticed that the term Acanthus is sometimes applied 

 to the Acacia ; a genus, however, which though 

 noticed by Virgil, does not appear to have been 

 ever naturalized in Italy, the Acacias now culti- 

 vated in the south of Europe being derived from 

 the New World. 



In Greece Acacia Farnesiana occurs, but it has 

 been introduced in modern times. 



p. 241. 



